Date & Time:
Jan 10, 1991 at 1800 LT
Type of aircraft:
Casa 212 Aviocar
Operator:
Registration:
ARV-0209
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Caracas - Santa Barbara
MSN:
264
YOM:
1982
Country:
Venezuela
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
20
Pax fatalities:
19
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
22
Circumstances:
A twin engine training plane operated by the Venezuelan Navy crashed few days ago. One pilot was killed while the second escaped with minor injuries. Funerals were organized by the Armada Venezolana and a Casa 212 was chartered to carry the coffin to Santa Barbara. On board were soldiers, officers, friends and family members of the deceased pilot. En route, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and was cleared by ATC to divert to Mérida-Alberto Carnevalli Airport. Few minutes later, while cruising in clouds, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located 55 km from Mérida Airport. A passenger was injured while 22 other occupants were killed. The passenger who survived was the second pilot on the first accident few days ago. He survived two crashes in a week.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain after the crew got lost in poor weather conditions.
